Yankees' Pineda perfect through 6 innings in home opener

Twenty straight Rays had been to the plate and ended up turning right back to the dugout with nothing to show for it against Yankees starter Michael Pineda until Evan Longoria doubled with two outs in the seventh inning.

For example, last week in Tampa, during the second game of the regular season, Pineda surrendered a lead-off home run to Corey Dickerson and it set the tone for his abbreviated first start. He allowed just two hits and one run in 7.2 innings while striking out 11.

Aaron Judge hit the game-tying home run in the eighth inning, and Starlin Castro lined the tiebreaking single in the ninth after two more walks.

Pineda, who gave up four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a loss against Alex Cobb at Tampa Bay last week, started 15 of his first 18 batters with strikes and didn't fall behind 2-0 in a count until the sixth.

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (illness, ankle) is out of the starting lineup again on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Tampa Bay Rays have had an excellent first week of baseball as they have accrued a record of 5-2 (the best start in franchise history) while every aspect of the team has impressed. Scheduled to make his Major League Baseball debut, Montgomery will become the 49th player in SC history to make it to the Majors.

But as time moved along and the weeding out process began, especially when Luis Cessa was removed from the picture, it suddenly became apparent that there was a job to be won at the top level of the Yankees organization.

The New York Yankees almost enjoyed history in their home opener Monday.

RECCOMENDED STORIES

Hamilton and Vettel relishing head-to-head battle
Lewis Hamilton believes his rivalry with Sebastian Vettel will see the "best against the best" going for this season's F1 title. Between Hamilton and Vettel , the duo have won seven of the last nine championships since Hamilton won his maiden title in 2008.

Yankees worth big league-high $3.7 billion
That said, if the team plays well, more people will come to the park and prices can be increased for tickets, merchandise and ads. Coming in last at $825 million are the lowly Tampa Bay Rays, who are plagued by poor attendance and a awful stadium.

Lawyer says Trump administration moved to squelch testimony
Spicer said that Yates had asked the Justice Department for permission to testify publicly and that it had been granted. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), has said that action alone sufficiently crossed the line where Nunes must recuse himself .

U.S. soldier killed in anti-IS operations in Afghanistan
The US counterterrorism mission is separate from the NATO-led effort to train, advise and assist the Afghan army and police force. A USA soldier was killed during the counter-terrorism operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Where Will Raiders Play After 2018 Season?
MCEVERS: Back in the early '80s, team owner Al Davis hated the decrepit Oakland Coliseum where the Raiders played. Davis is committed to bringing a Super Bowl title, and he's really is being beaten up by the move.

EU expands sanctions against North Korea
Even before the missile test, North Korea's nuclear program was expected to be an important talking point between Xi and Trump. North Korea called that test a success, but some outside analysts said it might test the weapon again before deploying it.